Medea Bipolar Disorder Analysis

Medea’s Irrational Actions Explained by Bipolar Disorder In the play Medea by Euripides, Medea does many things that would be considered crazy. She seems to overreact in nearly every situation and is even willing to kill her own children in order to inflict pain upon her ex-husband, Jason. When reading the play, Medea can appear to be a complete lunatic, however, many of her actions could be explained by bipolar disorder. Medea displays many symptoms that are associated with bipolar disorder including: suicidal thoughts, risky behavior, anxiety, and depression. Also, according to the Mayo Clinic Staff, bipolar disorder can develop or be triggered by a period of high stress (2017). When Medea’s husband Jason left her for another women, it was a very traumatic experience for her. Bipolar disorder is an illness that affects the brain by causing a shift in mood, energy, and/or activity levels. People with the disorder can have manic episodes, which are periods of energized behavior, or they can have depressive episodes, which are periods of sadness and lack of energy. Manic episodes that are less severe are called hypomanic episodes. It is also possible for someone to experience symptoms from both manic and depressive …show more content…
To begin with, people that possess certain genes have been shown to have an increased chance of developing bipolar disorder. Also, studies have shown that people with the disorder have differences in their brain structure compared to healthy brains. Lastly, people who have a family member that has the illness are more likely to have the disorder themself (The National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). According to the Mayo Clinic Staff, periods of high stress or traumatic events can act as a trigger for someone that has the illness. It is also possible for drugs and alcohol to cause an